The following contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia manga.
Season 7 of My Hero Academia ended with the fight between the injured All-For-One and the Armored All-Might. Though AFO was clearly wounded and had used much of his power to heal himself, he is still one of the most powerful beings on the planet. And although All Might wears the most advanced armored suit ever built, he still isn’t even half as powerful as he used to be.
Yet the battle between the two people who were known as the strongest of their time, the pinnacle of power for both good and evil, proves to be one of the most thrilling fights in the series. Both are desperate to take the other out before running out of the little power they have left. The season ended before any one of them got the chance to defeat the other. But the new season will bring an intriguing twist to this already exciting battle. An unlikely ally will come to help the former No. 1 hero. His name is Stain, a villain known as the Hero Killer.
An Unlikely Team-Up
- Name: Armored All Might
- First Appearance: Episode 159
Unlike the other Tartarus escapees, Stain chooses to observe the situation rather than go on a rampage or commit more crimes. He keeps his head down and moves in the shadows. But in a moment of chaos like this, there’s only one person that Stain focuses all his attention on, All Might. That’s why he is among the first to know about the fight between the former No. 1 hero and All-For-One, and he makes sure to stay right at the heart of the chaos.
A Quick but Crucial Assist
Though the fight between these two legendary figures is highly over-the-top and dangerous, Stain never intends to stay merely as an observer. He is actively looking for the best time to jump into the battlefield. That moment comes when the injured All Might is ready to launch his strongest attack.
Stain’s quirk is called Bloodcurdle. This quirk allows him to paralyze other people simply by ingesting their blood. When he sees AFO ready to counter All Might’s strongest attack, he licks the overlord’s blood that was splattered onto a rock earlier in the fight. Thanks to this quick yet crucial assist from Stain, All Might lands his strongest attack squarely on AFO.
“I only had to follow the path of destruction and collect a bloodstain sheltered from the rain and wind. But was it All For One’s blood, or All Might’s? Even mutilated, my nose is more than capable of identifying blood by scent. It told me all I needed to know!”
A Fan of All Might
- Name: “Hero Killer” Stain
- First Appearance: Episode 24
Why would a villain like Stain want to risk his life to help a hero like All Might? Why would somebody known as the Hero Killer purposely go against the evil overlord in order to help a former No. 1 Hero? The answer is because Stain is actually one of All Might’s biggest fanboys.
“All Might. Surely you understand, yes?! Why I would dare to leave the shadows and expose myself…I am here, because you must live!!”
From Admiration to Obsession
In the Hero Killer arc, it was revealed that before he became a villain known as Stain, Chizome Akaguro was a big fan of All Might. To him, the No. 1 Hero is the pinnacle of heroism. Unfortunately, Chizome was not strong enough to be a hero like his idol, so he opted to be a vigilante instead under the name of Stendhal. But as shown in My Hero Academia: Vigilante, he eventually became disillusioned with the whole concept of heroes and villains.
To him, villains are not the only problem for society. There are also a lot of bad apples on the heroes’ side, which is unacceptable because they are supposed to be the ones who uphold justice, just like All Might. So he once again decided to reinvent himself. This time around, he turned his blood-curdling attention towards the heroes. That’s how Stain, the Hero Killer, was born.
Unlike other villains who simply want to enrich themselves, satisfy their deranged desire, or spread chaos and destruction, Stain sees himself as the necessary evil who fights for the betterment of society. In his eyes, there are too many false heroes who fail to live up to All Might’s brand of justice and heroism. Such heroes must be culled for the sake of a safe and prosperous society. His admiration for All Might turned into a lifelong obsession with making sure every hero follows All Might’s path of justice.
A Pivotal Encounter
Stain was active as the Hero Killer after All Might retired as a hero. That means these two never formally met as a hero and a villain. But that doesn’t mean this battle is the first meeting between the two. They have met and talked once before. This pivotal encounter happened during the Dark Hero arc, when All Might was desperate to reach out to Deku but to no avail.
A Word of Encouragement from a Devoted Fan
At the time, All Might was helpless and depressed about his inability to help his pupil. He felt useless. He even began to resent himself. That’s when Stain came in from the shadows. He had been following All Might for a while. He usually preferred to stay in the shadows, but he couldn’t stand seeing his idol beating himself up like that. That’s why he revealed himself, and they ended up having a brief but important conversation.
“I feel as if I’m the only one who’s become more and more distant from heroes. From heroism,” said All Might. But Stain was having none of it. He spent the next few minutes berating the former No. 1 hero about the importance of his legacy to this world and how much he influences the next generation of heroes. Surprisingly, these words were exactly what All Might needed to hear at the time. He might not have intended to do so, but Stain was helping his idol regain his lost confidence. So no, that final battle was not the first time All Might received crucial aid from the Hero Killer.
“In the worst of times, All Might would maintain that grin and devote every fiber of his being to the people! It had nothing to do with powers or quirks! The man we knew as All Might could not live his life any other way.”
With the blood of about 40 heroes on his hands, Stain is undoubtedly an evil man. But his villain ways stem from his unhealthy admiration and obsession with All Might. Besides, he never agrees with All-For-One anyway, so it only makes sense for Stain to help All Might, his idol, in his moment of need, doesn’t it? And that’s how this unlikely team-up came to be.
My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
